Metastatic Breast Cancer
Renee Plodzik’s Story
Living with metastatic breast cancer, Renee has learned to live in three-month cycles, planning around scans and finding ways to stay present with her family. Her relationship with Runway began in 2022, when her first show helped her understand that even with a Stage 4 diagnosis, there is still hope.
“Maybe I’m not strong enough to live through metastatic breast cancer,” Renee says. “But I am strong enough to live with it.”
Read MoreChristina Clements’s Story
Christina learned how much peace can come from having a plan and a team you trust.
“I didn’t start to feel better until I had a plan,” she says. “Once that was in place, I could breathe again.”
Read MoreAshley Maxey’s Story
Ashley Maxey was first diagnosed with breast cancer in 2020 and then metastatic breast cancer in 2021.
Since then, Ashley has kept her eyes on her kids. Her job now is to fight to be here for their moments and memories.
Her advice is simple: “Take it one day at a time. Give thanks with each day you are given. Don’t forget to smile and hug the ones you love.”
Read MoreMichelle Maloney’s Story
Since September 2024, Michelle has averaged about three months per treatment plan.
“I choose to wake up and be positive,” Michelle says.
This October, Michelle returns to Runway’s 20th Anniversary Show as a reminder that even when things are hard, hope is still a choice every single day.
Read MoreLiz Mover’s Story
Liz Mover was diagnosed with breast cancer in February 2018, at age 34.
As an ICU nurse, Liz understood the weight of devastating medical diagnoses. But she never expected to become the patient.
Along the way, Liz learned that asking for help is not a weakness, but a necessary part of moving forward.
Now, having experienced that journey herself, she moves forward as a model mentor—offering the same support and care that helped carry her through.
Read MoreAvamarie Warden’s Story
Avamarie never expected breast cancer to bring her into rooms she had not imagined for herself.
“I wanted no parts of any community,” she says.
But once she found one, she understood what people had been trying to tell her.
“It really is a difference when you’re around people who get it,” Avamarie says.
Read MoreValerie David’s Story
Valerie David is known to many as The Pink Hulk.
A four-time cancer survivor over 27 years, Valerie has turned her story into a one-woman show about finding the superhero within. Earlier this year, after surgery for what doctors believed was a benign brain tumor, pathology revealed that metastatic breast cancer had been growing on the tumor.
For a while, Valerie says she lost The Pink Hulk.
But after her most recent scans came back clear, something shifted.
“The girl got her mojo back,” Valerie says.
Read MoreSiobhan Donovan’s Story
Siobhan Donovan is returning to the Runway stage with her children by her side.
When Siobhan was first diagnosed with metastatic breast cancer, her children were so young that much of the cancer world was outside their understanding. Now, as they get older, Siobhan wants them to experience the parts of this community that have brought her support, joy, and connection.
“It’s not all bad,” Siobhan says. “It’s not all bad, and you’re not in it alone.”
As she approaches five years since her diagnosis, Siobhan is holding many emotions at once: gratitude, joy, fear, heaviness, and hope. Through it all, Runway has helped her feel seen as someone who is still living her life while living with cancer.
“Runway just makes you feel seen,” she says.
Read MoreDeborah Williams’s Story
Living with metastatic breast cancer, Deborah has had to navigate the mental exhaustion that comes with knowing treatment may never fully end.
Someone once told her something that has stayed with her:
“It takes more energy to worry about dying than it does to live.”
Deborah carries that with her.
“Spend your time living day to day instead of spending your time worrying about if you’re going to die,” she says.
This October, Deborah returns to the Runway stage ready to dance, celebrate, and spend her energy living.
Read MoreLeah Chareonchump’s Story
Leah Chareonchump was diagnosed with breast cancer just two weeks after her 31st birthday.
She found the lump herself, but because she was young, her concerns were dismissed more than once. Still, she knew something was wrong.
“I was right,” she says, “which I didn’t want to be right.”
Years later, when worsening hip pain was also dismissed, Leah had to advocate for herself again. That persistence led to the discovery that her cancer had returned as innumerable bone metastases.
Leah’s story is a powerful reminder that young people know their bodies, too. Age should never be a reason for someone’s pain, fear, or intuition to be brushed aside.
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